please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I have very mixed feelings about this establishment.
First, let me say how impressed I was by the individual attention I was afforded by the young man at the bar. At about half my age, he nonetheless ministered to my needs without fault, and we exchanged some suitable banter. He was entirely polite without irony, and deserves a pay rise, I'm sure.
The decor was interesting: reminding me of the the kind of (super-hip) cafes I used to frequent as a teenager in Reading in the late 1960s. That said, in my middle age, Im probably prefer horse brasses and chintz ... so you see my dilemma ...
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After a six mile walk we fancied a pint before we got back on the train and we chose The Redan.
This is not the usual sort of pub that four guys over fifty would frequent but we didn't know that till we entered. We were the only customers, but it was 1530 on a Friday in March. Beer was surprisingly good. Barman was practising tossing his bottles as per Tom Cruise in Cocktail as per a previous reviewer but we had no blondes to compete against for service. Music was loud but I recognised both the Kinks and the Kings Of Leon so could have been a lot worse. Furniture and decor was sparse, no doubt for a good reason !
We probably wouldn't go back here but that is personal choice and not the fault of The Redan. We aren't its target clientele.
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This pub has since 2006 become an over 21's only Cocktail Bar. Green King IPA is served aswell.
The Pub has recently come under threat of demolishion by the local Council who intend to give the area a facelift and increase retail outlets.
As you can see from the picture, this is not an ugly building in need of a facelift. It is a thriving business, and would be a great loss to the area.
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The service in this place is the slowest I've ever seen anyone over 18 and not blonde need not bother as the bar staff try thier hardest not to notice you until they have done thier Tom Cruise impression. Once they've pulled you have no hope! Go somewhere else.
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popped in this place a few times while down from Manchester on a course. The cask ale was good and the people were friendly. Nice place.
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not my usual type of place but love to go in for lunch and a pint, andy does good food and it reasonably priced. staff are friendly.
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Haha shame. The new owners only just totally revamped the place late last summer. They place is going to the dogs thought, apparently. Hardly surprising when they make it 21 on entry. The Redan had characters, same friendly faces the way it used to be. Don't care what the hell happens to it now.
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Looks like this place is going to be demolished, as the redevelopment plans have been accepted unaltered. Maybe it's not an architecturally 'significant' structure but it's a pretty building with history to it, unlike many others in the town centre.
Fair enough to say that Wokingham has it's fair share of pubs - however, this was turning into one of the best of them.
Sad to see it go. Hope that Andy gets a good break elsewhere.
anonymous - 11 Dec 2006 21:52 |
This place is in grave danger of demolition if the redevelopment plans for Wokingham town centre are accepted in their present form.
Don't let this happen, as it is a building of historical and architecural merit and the new guy running it is doing a good job.
Write/email the planning department at Wokingham District Council and tell them what you think!
anonymous - 20 Oct 2006 23:48 |
Change of landlord. New fella seems to be moving it in a more cocktail-oriented direction. Fair enough, no-one else in Woky is doing it. Nice bloke to boot. Has two ales, both GK (IPA and Speckled hen)
Sharp enough to note that the pint of Speckled Hen was barrel-end and offered me the IPA as alternative. Most places would just dump the grot in front of you and demand payment.
Has a small beer garden and a bright conservatory area. Not cheap (my GK IPA was �2.70) but the beer is well-kept and the guy obviously takes pride in serving it well. Better than it was and one to put on the Woky crawl list now.
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i had been in this place only once until recently, i only went back in because i was meeting a friend.
but i was amazed!
the place is lovely now!
run by andy and kim, i felt fight at home within seconds!
shaken by the hand as i was greeted by the lovely andy,
i was then given a drink on the house!
(dont get that often!)
then i asked for a cocktail!
yes, they do cocktails now!
and i was made several great drinks through the night.
with fresh strawberries and blueberries and all sorts of weird and wonderful spirits!
and my friend was happy too!
they still do real ales
all in all, a clean and refreshing bar for wokingham.
all it needs now is to make sure it keeps the scum out!
this will be my new regular haunt in town!
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Proper off the hook pub, really friendly staff, friendly locals. Met my best mate brian down there few fridays ago. Beer is good quality, nice, warm and relaxing atmosphere, not too rowdy either which is a big plus. Only thing that i'd criticise is the building itself. The thermostat was rotten when iwent to adjust it in the winter and the bogs are often left in a less than appropriate way ie. toilet paper with sh*t staines on them across the floor. Needs sorting.
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Nothing special, another Greene King outlet if I remember correctly.
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Too small but if a broom cupboards your bag fine.
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Not a bad little pub. Its a bit smokey though. Would visit it again though.
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The Redan is a little on the grotty side, and the waiting staff often give the appearance of being a bit "away with the fairies". That said, the beer is of a fair quality, and it breaks down the walk between the Ship and the New Rose when performing a pub crawl.
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